Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Challenge Weeks #332-#333 Anything Goes

Welcome back to Word Art Wednesday, everyone. We're so glad you're here, and we hope that you're having a blessed week. It's time for a brand new challenge with another awesome sponsor, lots of great inspiration, a beautiful piece of word art with a lovely devotional, and just a whole lot of fun. Please know that we are very grateful to have you play along with us and share your amazing art. It's always a treat to see what you've created, and we hope you know how much it means to us that you take the time to link up with us. We wish we could give everyone a prize, and we really do wish you all the best of luck in the random draw for this week's amazing prize. Here's a brief devotional for you based on the scripture from our new word art. We hope it is a blessing to you.

This week we're focusing on a verse from the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles 15:7, "Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hand be weak: for your work shall be rewarded." A little history lesson for this one (you can read it for yourself in 2 Chronicles 14 & 15). Israel's king at this time was Asa. He was a good king that sought the Lord and wanted to please Him. He put away the idols and altars made to false gods. When he was in battle, he prayed to the Lord and asked (and received) His help. A prophet, Azariah, came to Asa and told him that if he would continue to seek the Lord, the Lord would continue to help him. Azariah told King Asa that for a long time the people of Israel had neglected to serve the Lord and that because of this they had suffered adversity. But that when they sought the Lord, they found Him there to help them. He encouraged Asa in verse 7 to be strong and continue to do what was right and that the Lord would reward him. Asa took courage from Azariah's encouragement and continued to remove the altars, idols and other places where false gods were worshiped. He was such a good example to his people that they also worshiped the Lord. As a result, the Lord gave him a long period of rest from battle and blessed him.

So what does this have to do with us? It's a reminder to us that encouraging others is vitally important. If you see someone trying to serve the Lord, encourage them to keep on being faithful. Your pastor, Sunday School or Bible Study teacher, choir director or other church leader carries burdens you don't see. Encourage them to remain faithful and that the Lord notices what others do not. Encourage fellow Christians to hold the line and remain true to the Lord. As card makers, we have a perfect opportunity to turn our hobby into a ministry of blessing others. How about a note to a shut-in, a mom who has missed church due to sick children, or a missionary that your church supports? Let them know that they are not forgotten. Let's try to be like Azariah and encourage our Christian leaders and fellow Christians. Let's also try to be like King Asa and remain faithful in serving the Lord, and be a good example to our fellow Christians. - Devotional by Stephanie Wright

As always, you are welcome to save the free scripture/word art file to your computer, but are never required to use it in order to play along in our challenges. We welcome you share your all your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family-friendly, and uses an encouraging or uplifting sentiment. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards). You may link up to five (5) projects each week, for a total of ten (10) entries per two-week challenge. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning. It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and encouragement to you as we share it. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules under our page tab for "Challenge Rules". Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to our guidelines. Please know that this doesn't mean we are judging anyone. We're simply attempting to honor God and follow His rules. Let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for your understanding and participation!

Here is this week's word art. We hopethat it will be a blessing to you.

Here's our AWESOME sponsor for this challenge:

For this challenge, our dear friends atWinnie & Walter are offering one luckyperson a generous $25 Gift Certificate.If you're not yet familiar with this AWESOMEstore, I hope you will stop by to do somewindow shopping. They carry the sweeteststamps, dies, and more. Check it out hereat Winnie & WalterAND NOW.....Our Very Lucky Winner:

Beautiful devotional this week! We all need encouragement, and it feels good to encourage others. Thank you for this timely message! Wonderful word art and gorgeous cards by your team and guest! Thank you for your challenges - it's always a pleasure to support you and be inspired by God's word!